The present application relates generally to systems apparatuses and methods of determining, identifying, predicting, calculating, and/or correcting for plugging or de-plugging of diesel oxidation catalyst devices, and also relates generally to determining, identifying, predicting, calculating, and/or correcting for plugging rates or de-plugging rates of exhaust aftertreatment catalyst devices.
Diesel engines are widely used for transportation, generating electrical power, shipping, and other commercial or industrial applications. Recently there has been increasing need for cleaner diesel technologies that reduce harmful emissions found in diesel exhaust. It is desirable to reduce or eliminate a variety of diesel engine emissions including, Nitrogen oxides (NOx), sulfur oxides (SOx), carbon monoxide (CO), hydrocarbons, particulates including but not limited to soot, soluble organics, and others. A variety of technical solutions have been proposed for cleaner operation of diesel engines. One such solution is regenerative filtering, including active and passive forms of regenerative filters such as plasma filters, SCR filters, and others.
One problem encountered with aftertreatment filtration is clogging or plugging—in particular for diesel oxidation catalyst (“DOC”) devices. Such plugging, including states preceding or leading to substantial or partial plugging or blockage, can cause high engine back pressure, low DOC conversion efficiency, degradation in catalytic performance, and/or insufficient inlet temperature to a soot filter for active filter regeneration. High engine back pressure from increased DOC restriction can result in loss of engine power, high EGR flow rates, high turbine outlet temperature, lower exhaust gas mass flow rate, and/or lower oxygen concentration. Degradation of DOC performance due to face plugging can also result in the reduction of DOC hydrocarbon oxidation efficiency, which can directly affect soot regeneration. Furthermore, DOC face plugging can potentially cause temperature gradient and non-uniformity inside soot filters, posing a potential risk of failure. These problems and others may possibly compromise system performance and risk damage. Thus, there continues to be a need for further contributions in this area of technology.